Walkie-talkies are far and away the most convenient type of radio communications system for a quick exchange of information. A user pushes the button and is in instant communication with one or a whole group of contacts. Due to the speed and convenience of this technology, telecommunications carriers have incorporated this technology into cellular technology for use with mobile handsets.
Accordingly, push-to-talk (PTT) is a two-way communications method integrated into cellular technology that uses half-duplex mode where transmission occurs in both directions, but not at the same time. To use PTT, users must press a button on the PTT device while speaking, then release it when done. The listener must then do the same to respond. A typical PTT session can last about 20 to 30 seconds, versus roughly 3 minutes for a traditional cellular call.
However, the integration of PTT technology and cellular technology has not been seamless. Among other issues, telecommunications carriers have been plagued with reliability and efficiency concerns due to the integration of the PTT and cellular technology. Reliability of PTT technology has been addressed in a variety of ways, but to date, very few telecommunications carriers provide a reliable and efficient PTT service for their cellular networks. Typically, the PTT technology can be constructed with internal redundancy, however, the PTT technology does not have a provision for geographic or realtime mated redundancy.
Accordingly, there exists a demand for improved reliability and efficiency, such as geographic or realtime mated redundancy, for PTT service on cellular networks.